Face the Choice
by MammaWeasley27
Summary: When Mercedes Reyes realizes she's in too deep, she blows the whistle. Her interference isn't appreciated and an attempt is made on her life. Her mother decides to send her off to live with her father in England, transferring her to Hogwarts. "We must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy." *On Hold*
1. Chapter 1: Inbound

**NOTICE:**

I do **not** own any aspect of Harry Potter -the universe, place names, titles, or characters, nor anything else having to do with HP. The plot of this fan fiction is, however, **mine**. Harry Potter/Harry Potter universe and all aspects are owned by J.K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 1: Inbound**

Mercedes Reyes stared out the window of the plane as it made its way towards Heathrow International. The clouds were already oppressive, and she wasn't even below them yet. _Goodbye, sun_ , she thought glumly. She wondered how long it would take until her Hispanic skin to begin to look albino. The trip from the states had been bearable, all things considered, but she had always known that the flight (technically, flights, since she had to grab a connecting one in Atlanta) was going to be the easiest part of her ordeal. Mercedes sighed, fogging up the small window. She was going to miss her mom -despite it being her idea to ship her daughter off here. She was also going to miss the little house they shared together, the flower garden they had kept alive since she was in 5th grade, and all her friends back at school -well, most of them. The ones who didn't want her dead, that is.

Things were going to be so different now, and she had little choice in the matter, which made it an even harder pill to swallow. Her mother had been out of her depth with all the horrible goings on, and so, just like that, she was off to dear old dad's in jolly ol' England. New Mexico wasn't the nicest place she'd ever been, but it had been home. It hardly ever rained there, unlike England. She was just thankful that it wasn't already pouring as the plane came in for landing. She didn't own any serious rain gear, and she doubted her black cat umbrella would do much against a real London downpour, especially seeing as it was in her checked bag, along with her wand and any other objects the Muggles thought she might attempt to stab them with.

Her train of thought derailed as the captain announced it was time to land. Takeoffs and landings made her a bit nervous. "You can only rely on Muggle aircraft so much," her granddad always said, which didn't help her faith in them.

Finally the plane reached the asphalt, and once she had been instructed to do so by the flight attendants, she grabbed her carry-on and began to disembark the aircraft slowly, trudging her way into the terminal. She knew her dad might not be there to meet her -he had told her as much, and that was fine with her; she just hoped he didn't send his new wife. Mercedes knew she was going to be forced to see Marcia some before the school year started next week, but she wanted to keep it as limited as possible. She might be forced to make England her permanent home and begin life at a completely new school, but she did not have to pretend to enjoy occupying the same space as her father's replacement bride.

Marcia had met her dad a few years ago at work. Their quick engagement and subsequent elopement had been quite the shock to Mercedes. She had always expected her dad to give her proper notice when he thought he had found the next Mrs. Patterson, but only a week had passed between their engagement and their secret trip via international portkey to Italy, where they were married in some old chapel. The fact that she had met Marcia once or twice before in person two years ago did _not_ count as proper notice. Not hardly. It seemed to Mercedes that she had barely gotten the engagement letter off the first owl before the next one came swooping in, burdened with the announcement of their marriage, and a cloying photograph of the two of them. She attempted to ignore the nagging, rational part of herself as she walked towards baggage claim. The part that reminded her that she had actually _liked_ Marcia, before she was going out with her dad. The part that knew her step-mother wasn't truly awful. Sometimes she really wished her rational side would just fu...

"Mercedes?" She turned around at the sound of her name, spying an unassuming brown-haired man waving at her, before she frantically turned back to the carrousel to resume the search for her bag, which she _thought_ she had spotted a second before being distracted. She cursed under her breath when she had to jog down the belt a bit, carry-on bumping against her hip, to get it before it went round again. After she had collected her bag - _Damn, it was heavy, stupid charm her mom placed could have done_ something _about the weight, couldn't it?_ \- she turned back to the young man standing by the conveyor belt, looking uncertainly at her. She'd never seen him before, but she knew who he must be: Warren, her dad's apprentice, whom he had spoken of a few times before. Her dad worked as an Auror for the Ministry. The British Ministry of Magic, that is. There's an American one as well - called the Magical Congress of the United States- and quite a few others, so it's important to differentiate. At least that was what she was told.

Warren looked her up and down, then asked the security question her dad had made up when she was 3 in case she got lost. It was sad, and kind of pathetic that he hadn't ever gotten around to updating it, since she had lost interested in MagiPets when she was 5. Once she had answered satisfactorily, Warren introduced himself properly, and then very helpfully picked up her bag before guiding her through the crowds of Muggles and out of the airport.

As they walked, he kept up a running stream of information about where her dad was, and the details that he knew of her stay. She listened to bits and pieces as they walked, because there wasn't much else to do, unless she wanted to count taxis, that is.

"Your dad is at work currently, working alongside..."

"I'm to take you up to the house and..."

"Your step-mother..."

After that last, she decided firmly to tune him out, choosing to mentally review exactly what her plan of action was when it came to seeing her father. She needed to come up with something that would convince him to send her home.

Warren continued on with this line of burbling speech as they walked farther and farther away from the hustle and bustle of the parking line, and made their way towards a small, dank, deserted alley situated in a nook between two terminals. Warren turned to look at her once they reached what he deemed a hidden enough corner, just behind a dumpster and out of the sight line of any Muggles looking on from the surrounding windows. He silently held out his arm to her, she grabbed the crook of his proffered elbow, and before she could fully comprehend what was happening, he apparated.

When her head stopped spinning, she realized they were now standing outside her father's two story home in northern England. "Good gravy, you could have given me a bit of warning before popping off like that!" she groaned, closing her eyes and holding a hand to her swaying stomach. She really should have declined that salmon dinner on the flight; salmon and side-along apparation don't go very well together, she was coming to realize. Warren looked at her, his brow furrowed with mock consternation, "If you had been paying attention to absolutely anything I had said, you would have been prepared. I _did_ mention it was safer to apparate as soon as we were clear." he tutted, turning away from her towards the front walk. He tapped her case with his wand as he went, causing it to float in front of him, and made a motion with his other hand for her to follow. With a slight shake to clear her fuzzy head, Mercedes trailed behind him, pausing only slightly as he unlocked the front door with his wand and stepped back to allow her to enter before him. He placed her bag down in the entryway and turned again to look at her. "I'm only going to say this once more, because it's the most important: You are not to leave the house until your father gets home; not even to stroll the grounds. That's _his_ order. Is that understood?" he said solemnly. Mercedes looked him up and down once skeptically, sure by his face that he couldn't be more than 3 or 4 years older than herself. _Who died and made you Minister?_ ,she wondered. "Fine," she huffed rather gruffly, "Are you done?"

Warren sighed again, guessing correctly that was the best he could hope for from her, and turned to head out the door without a backwards glance. As soon as he was outside, Mercedes heard the door close firmly and lock in a complicated sounding way. _Awesome, I've been magically locked in._ She slowly made her way over to the bottom of the staircase and sunk down.

 _I'm officially in England_. _God knows how long it will be until I can go back..._ if _I can go back._ And with that thought, she finally let the tears fall.


	2. Chapter 2: Marching Orders

**NOTICE:**

I do **not** own any aspect of Harry Potter -the universe, place names, titles, or characters, nor anything else having to do with HP. The plot of this fan fiction is, however, **mine**. Harry Potter/Harry Potter universe and all aspects are owned by J.K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 2: Marching Orders**

After she had herself a good cry, Mercedes picked herself up off the stairs, grateful that no one had come home while she allowed herself to feel vulnerable. She decided on a whim to search the house from top to bottom, sussing out the layout, and stopping to ponder over the odd item that caught her eye. All she found worth while on the first floor were a few chocolates that her step-mother was clearly saving for a later time, as they were shoved behind the clock on the mantle. She grabbed the small bag and took it with her as she explored the remainder of the bottom floor, munching on the candies as she went. When she was done, she placed the empty bag -now filled with discarded wrappers- back on the mantle and turned her attention upstairs.

After taking a cursory glance in what had to be her dad's and Marcia's room, she turned her attention to the other rooms along the hallway. She made note of the location of the bathroom -her's, because her dad had an en suite, thank God- as she continued along the hall until eventually she found what was supposed to be her room. It held only a bed, a small dresser, and what had to be her new school trunk. It was Spartan, to put it lightly -which was disappointing, but it did make a bit of sense, seeing as it was going to be a little less than a week until she was shipped off to her new school. She had been a little less pessimistic about the transition when her father had informed her that Hogwarts is a boarding school, meaning she would hardly be spending any time at all with Marcia.

Mercedes went back to the entryway, grabbed her luggage and heaved it up the stairs and into her new abode. Flopping down on the bed, she began to try to think of a way out of her current situation. She needed to be mindful how she acted in front of her dad, show him she was fine, that her mother had exaggerated the situation, and then maybe he'd let her go back home. To her mother.

Her mother. The thought of the woman who bore her lit a small fire in the pit of her stomach. She wouldn't be here if it weren't for Alma losing her shit. Mercedes had gone to her in confidence, assuming -based on past experience- that her mother wouldn't fuss, that she would be okay with anything; after all, she was almost 17. An adult. But, as luck would have it, there is a first time for everything... Mercedes knew exactly why her mom had freaked -it was a pretty normal response to hearing your daughter was almost killed- but she still couldn't understand why the woman hadn't stuck with her credo of personal privacy, of keeping things within their small family, aka: the two of them.

Although her Dad technically was family, he had never seemed to count before... Especially when her mom had gone off to Acapulco for two weeks, leaving Mercedes with her uncle Andreas... Or that time they'd been skiing, and Mercedes had gotten buried in a 15 foot snow drift and Alma wasn't able to use her magic to rescue her because there were Muggles with them. Mercedes had definitely almost died then, but not a single word to Henry.

"I'm doing this for your own good, mija." Alma had said, when her ex-husband had portkeyed into their tiny kitchen as they were finishing dinner. It was the night after Mercedes had told her of the incident at school the past year, and all that had transpired since. Mercedes had been beyond shocked, and the feeling of betrayal was immediate. "Your mother and I have your best interest at heart, luv." Her dad, Henry, had said, putting his hand awkwardly on his ex-wife's shoulder in an attempt to show solidarity. Instead, the contact had made them both wince.

Mercedes had to pick her jaw up off the tile floor, which seemed impossible considering she seemed to have lost all control of motor function. "I can't believe you told him!" She'd shouted at her mom once she had found her voice. "You swore you'd always keep what was said between the two of us, _between the two of us_. Obviously, you had other ideas on what that meant, Alma!" she said, refusing to allow her mom the dignity of the proper title. She glared openly at her. "If I had known that you had exceptions to that rule, I wouldn't have told you! He's going to over-react; put me on house arrest of something! I was handling things fine! I don't understand why it's okay to spill to Dad this one time, but not all the others!" Her mother sat there, staring at her with frustrated tears in her eyes. "Mija, please don't be angry with me. I swear to Dios I wouldn't have told your father if I didn't think it was truly serious. And it is serious -your father agrees, this sort of thing is very concerning, mi coraz _ó_ n -those kids are dangerous. If I had known about this sooner, we would have had more options. I'm still furious the school covered it up..." she said quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes as she visibly rallied herself for the coming fight. She knew her daughter well enough that she knew she wouldn't go quietly. Her father, on the other hand, lived thousands of miles away, only seeing her a few times a year, and had no idea what he had entered into. "You can't meddle in my life like this!" Mercedes spat. "I can take care of myself. I only told you because you deserved to know. Last time I tell you anything!"

Henry drew himself up to his full height, towering over both women. "Your mother and I have discussed this, and decided it would be best for you to come live with me in England until things blow over here. You will finish school there." Mercedes was horrified, and tried to find her voice, but her father cut her off. "Those are your marching orders!"

The sound of the door unlocking somehow reached Mercedes in the semi-sanctuary of her new room, and she pulled herself from thoughts of the last weekend. Could it really have only been last weekend? Just six days ago... "Hullo!" she heard her dad call up into the rafters of the house. He knew she was here somewhere; after all, where the hell else could she go? Mercedes closed her eyes, refusing to answer his expectant call. He would find her shortly, she knew, and she could attempt to be ready when he did.

All too soon, her dad was opening up her door -without knocking, she noticed. "Figured you'd find your room alright. Sorry it's so bare -we'll fix that before you come home for Christmas break." He said amiably enough, walking over to join her on the plush comforter. "Talked with your mum before I got home. She hoped you had a nice flight, and told me to tell you she loves you." Mercedes huffed at that, the first audible sign she was actually listening to her father. "You can tell her that I'm fine, the flight was fine, and I'm ready to go home now. This joke is no longer funny." she retorted, shiftily glancing over at her father''s face as he looked around the room -at anything but her, actually- to see if it was working. Judging by the creases in between his eyebrows, it wasn't _. Crap._ "Honey, you know you're not going home any time soon. You were almost killed. You were being threatened by a cult -a gang, whatever it is- for chrissake... All because you got their leader kicked out of school." Mercedes sat up quickly, cutting him off. "It definitely isn't a cult, okay? _God._ And I didn't almost die; that fucktard couldn't curse anything even if her wand was right way round! Now Mom's gone and blown the whole fucking thing way out of proportion!" This got a deep frown out of her father: he was against the use of foul language, but only as long as she was the one using it, not him. "I'm almost 17, which I know you know. You and Mom won't be able to control me forever." she said, hurt. "Is that why I'm here? Seriously? To keep me locked up and safe for the rest of my life? Never able to stand up for myself and face my demons?" She asked, frowning back at him. His own frown deepened, which was never good. "Your school was no good, Cedes. And your mother had been worried about the things that were happening there for a while. This... this new information was just the last straw for her." he responded as calmly as he could.

"Listen, I'm not going to discuss this with you right now - Marcia is on her way home. I only came up here to remind you to be civil towards her, and to invite you down to dinner -tonight and every night while you're here, I'll be expecting you to join us." His voice rang with the finality that only parents are good at. He got up and walked the short distance to the door, stopping to turn his face partially back in her direction, his back still to her. "Oh, and I'm having a work colleague over for dinner tonight, with his family. I expect you downstairs at half past six." He said semi-apologetically, almost as if he was sorry for springing that on her, too.

And with that, he snapped the door closed behind him.

Mercedes stared at the door, mouth slightly open, a look of disgust on her face. She'd barely just gotten here, was going on about four hours of sleep, and she was expected to entertain? _Jerk. Of all the inconsiderate things..._ It was bad enough she was going to be expected to eat dinner with Marcia, but now a whole family of outsiders was going to come and watch the spectacle. _Great._ She hoped they get their money's worth.


	3. Chapter 3: On Display

**NOTICE:**

I do **not** own any aspect of Harry Potter -the universe, place names, titles, or characters, nor anything else having to do with HP. The plot of this fan fiction is, however, **mine**. Harry Potter/Harry Potter universe and all aspects are owned by J.K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 3: On Display**

Showers always had a way of calming Mercedes down, helping her relax and reassess. After she had used up all the hot water, she got out and wrapped herself in one of the ridiculously fluffy towels she had found in her bathroom cupboard, which she assumed must be an upgrade due to Marcia moving in. She wiped away the condensation on the antique gilded mirror (also new, no doubt), and stared into the hazel eyes of the girl trapped behind the frame. Her eyes appeared slightly sunken, which Mercedes knew was the result of almost a week of crying, not to mention the lack of sleep and the time change. Her bronze skin glittered where the water still clung to it, dripping down from tendrils of dark hair. She looked almost like an exact copy of her mother, only 21 years younger; they were almost always mistaken as sisters, much to her chagrin. Alma, however, ate it up. _Ugh._

With the thought of her mother souring her consciousness, she turned away from the mirror, no longer wanting to entertain ghosts, and made her way down the hall to her bedroom. She could hear her father and Marcia downstairs, and smell the aroma of food wafting up to her. She didn't like Marcia much, but she had to admit the woman could cook; It almost killed her to think it, though, and she would never say it out loud. Her traitorous stomach growled, reminding her that the last thing she had eaten was those chocolates a few hours ago. Her first night here may be on the way down the shitter, but at least she'd eat well...

At half past six exactly, Mercedes forced herself to abandon the solitude of her new room, feeling the tension beginning to return to her shoulders. She had dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a maroon v-neck top, and the cream colored knit sweater her mom had given her last Christmas. It was cozy in the house, but she could hear the wind howling outside, rattling the shutters and making the trees thrash about. It made her skin crawl. The wind sounded different here than it did back in New Mexico. _Great night for a dinner party_ , she thought darkly, crossing her arms around herself to keep out the imaginary chill -it was just a summer storm, after all. If it was this windy now, she was literally going to freeze her ass off with the first winter breeze.

Upon descending the staircase, she could hear voices coming from the living room, which meant their guests were already here. She rounded the corner to the living room, stopping in the archway to take in the scene: There was her father and Marcia, talking animatedly with a tall, dark haired man and a ginger haired woman, both of whom had their backs to her. On the sofa, she could see the backs of two more heads: one dark like the father, one ginger like the mother. As she stood there watching, someone cleared their throat behind her, making her jump. Her eyes were wide and her heart was hammering as she turned around to see who it was. "Do you mind if I get by?" asked a boy about her age, also dark haired. Mercedes didn't want to move forward into the room, and she couldn't get around him, so she folded herself against the wall to allow him passage. _How many_ bloody _people are there?_ she wondered, enjoying borrowing her father's favorite curse word.

As the boy entered the room to rejoin his family, her father looked up, noticing her attempt to back out of the doorway, and smiled. "Glad to see you decided to join us!" he said, giving no indication that he had threatened her over the fact earlier. "Harry, Ginny," he said, walking over to lead her into the room, showing her round to all the occupants, "This is my daughter, Mercedes. Mercedes, this is Harry Potter -my boss, his wife, Ginny, and their kids: James, Albus, and Lily." He pointed to each person in turn. Apparently, the boy who had come up behind her was called Albus. Funny name. But then again, Mercedes couldn't really talk.

"Dibs." The older boy, James, hissed to his brother, who had joined him and their sister on the couch. His brother, Albus, shot him a look at the same time their mother, who had been on her way over to greet Mercedes, popped him upside the back of the head. "Oi!" James yelped, rubbing the sore spot and glaring at his mother as she walked past him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mercedes! Your father has told us all about you." she said, wrapping Mercedes' hand in both of her own, then bringing her into a hug, completely indifferent to the fact that her oldest son was muttering curses at her back. "Sorry about that," she laughed apologetically as they broke apart, nodding her head back towards her eldest. "You feel free to sock him if he tries anything." Mercedes cracked a shy smile, the first since she found out she was being shipped off to England to live with her dad. "I will, thanks." Mercedes giggled. Mr. Potter came over next, offering his hand in a firm handshake, which she returned as best she could. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter." Mercedes said quietly, attempting to remember where she had heard the name before -she made a mental note to brush up on her current events later. "Please, do call me Harry." he said, as his wife wrapped her arm around his waist comfortably. "It makes us feel old to be called Mr. and Mrs. Potter." she winks. Mercedes grinned, knowing she was definitely going to like Ginny.

The kids stayed where they were on the couch, but the older boy gave a nod, and the girl waved. The middle boy ignored her, still seemingly ashamed by his brother's outburst.

"So, now that that's out of the way," announced her dad, walking over to his new wife and taking her hand, "Shall we eat?"

"So, are you excited about school?" Ginny queried, levitating the potatoes down the table to her eldest son, who had asked for fourths. "I suppose," Mercedes shrugged unenthusiastically, looking down at her plate as she pushed around her remaining peas with her fork. "Everyone says Hogwarts is an amazing school, but I'm kinda partial to mine back home." she admits. "Hogwartsisgreat." James spouted around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. His mother made a disgusted face, and his father rolled his eyes, indicating this is a common enough occurrence. "Manners, dear." Ginny shot at him as he gulped down his food. Apparently he didn't swallow right, because he started coughing, and his father proceeded to beat him over the back in order to "help" dislodge the food, making Lily and Albus snigger.

Lily decided to take it upon herself to get the conversation back on track. The young girl turned excitedly to Mercedes, who was sitting next to her, "You'll love Hogwarts," she gushed. "I do, and so do my brothers. Mum and Dad went there when they were kids, and they loved it. It so full of history, and there's all these neat places to explore! Plus, all the classes are really interesting!" Lily had been talking to Mercedes almost nonstop during dinner, once she had warmed up to the older girl. Mercedes had known her all of an hour and a half now, and she already felt like she knew everything there was to know about Lily Luna Potter. That didn't stop Lily from talking, though. Mercedes gave up pushing around the remnants of her food, and just took to staring out the window while the others gorged themselves. She had eaten two helpings, but beyond that, she didn't find herself capable, unlike everyone else around the table, who _at least_ had consumed third helpings.

Once everyone was full, the men retired to the den to discuss work, sliding the door closed behind them, while the women magicked the dirty dishes into the kitchen and began preparing dessert while they chatted animatedly together. _Who the hell could still be hungry, though?_ She wondered.

Mercedes realized this left her alone with the other kids for the first time that night. Two pairs of eyes turned her way; Albus was studiously observing an oil painting -yet another thing Marcia must have brought with her when she moved in. "So, what year are you in, Mercedes?" James asked, folding his arms across his chest and attempting to subtly flex his muscles. "I'm entering sixth this year." Mercedes stated, blatantly ignoring his cocky display.

"Aw, I'm only going into forth," Lily sighed, "but you're in Albus' year!"

"What house do you think you'll be sorted into -you know, since you're a transfer?" James asked, eying her up and down curiously.

"House?" Mercedes asked, confused. "My school is -was- just a small, local one. We didn't have houses; we just operated as one student body. There was a Quodpot team, obviously, and a even a Quidditch team -though not as popular, and we played against the other schools... We're the Las Lunas Lupes."

"Where is that at? And what's Quodpot?" Lily asked.

"It's in New Mexico. In the US. And it's a lot like Quidditch, but we play with eleven players and a quaffle-like ball, called the quod; it explodes." Mercedes explained.

"Exploding balls sounds fun." James smirked. Mercedes had to close her eyes to stop them from rolling in response to that comment. _God help me_...

"Hogwarts has houses, and we play quidditch against each other instead of other schools. I'm captain of the Gryffindor team." James continued, rather boastfully. "Lil and I are both in Gryffindor, and Al over there is in Slytherin." Mercedes had no idea what he was talking about, but she grasped on to the one thing she remembered her dad saying about houses. "My dad was in Huffle...fluff?" she finished, unsure. James and Lily laughed, and even Albus cracked a smile from his place on the couch, where he had taken up skimming through a book. "You mean Hufflepuff." Lily corrects, while James continued chuckling, wiping tears from his eyes. "They're a very amiable house." Lily said, elbowing her brother when he said something about, "Bunch of knobs."

The two then proceed to explain more about the school house system -specifically Gryffindor, as all the houses apparently keep to themselves, and they didn't know much about the others- and Mercedes just nodded, pretending she cared a lick what they were talking about. Thankfully, after not too long, the two had decided they had explained enough, and James brought out a game of Exploding Snap, even enticing Albus to join them, albeit under threat of force. They had just finished explaining the rules to Mercedes, and begun their first game when the parents came in to disrupt them with the promise of dessert. Everyone gathered into the kitchen for a slice of pie around the island. Finally, after everyone had eaten as much as they could hold, the Potters decided it was time to head home.

Once all the goodbyes had been said and the Potters had disapparated, Mercedes began to make her way upstairs. She was beyond exhausted, and still couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that just yesterday she was in a completely different country.

"Mercedes, can we speak to you for a moment?" her dad called up to her. Mercedes stifled a yawn and descended the staircase half way, leaning heavily on the bannister. "What's up?" she asked sleepily. "We wanted to discuss taking you to Diagon Alley sometime within the next few days to gather the remainder of your supplies for school." he said, his arm around his wife. "Okay. Can we discuss this later, though? I'm really tired." Her dad nodded his head, and Marcia gave her an understanding smile. "Alright. Go get some rest, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4: Diagon Alley

**NOTICE:**

I do **not** own any aspect of Harry Potter -the universe, place names, titles, or characters, nor anything else having to do with HP. The plot of this fan fiction is, however, **mine**. Harry Potter/Harry Potter universe and all aspects are owned by J.K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 4:**

Mercedes slept. And slept. And slept some more. In fact, she didn't fully wake up until about five the next evening. When she finally stumbled her way down to the kitchen to grab a little something to eat, she found her dad and Marcia eating a modest dinner. "Glad to see you aren't dead." her dad joked, chuckling at himself. "Would you have come to investigate before I started moldering away, or only after you noticed the smell?" Mercedes asked darkly, still suffering from a sleep hangover, and not in the mood for joking. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and began slowly shoveling it into her mouth.

Marcia cleared her throat, and addressed Mercedes for the first time since she'd arrived. "How would you like to go shopping with me tomorrow, Mercedes? Your father has work, but I know you need to get a few remaining school supplies, and I'm positive you need better winter clothes. New Mexico gets cold, but nowhere near as cold as it gets here."

Mercedes looked up at her, noting the hopeful expression on her face. Clearly this was a peace offering, and one that she was expected to bite at. She looked from her step-mother to her father, who gave her a withering look. The thought of freezing in some drafty Scottish castle wasn't exactly how she planned on spending the next however many months, so she begrudgingly agreed. Marcia's face lit up. "Wonderful! How does ten o'clock sound?" Marcia asked, her eyes crinkling with her smile. _How does that sound? God, that's early. Kill me now..._

Mercedes shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms before quickly sticking them in her jean pockets. She didn't know why England had to be so bloody cold -mid-sixties in the summer wasn't normal. She was becoming quite grateful that Marcia was taking her clothes shopping at a Muggle mall first, before they headed to wherever Brits got their magical equipment, because her sweater was quickly proving inept at keeping the chill at bay. "Let's go get you a proper coat, dear. You'll need it as the year progresses." Marcia said, turning away from the house and making her way towards Mercedes. "Are you ready to go?" she asked, holding out her hand invitingly. _Great. More apparation. Lovely._ Mercedes steeled herself to take Marcia's hand, and with a loud pop, they were gone.

After they finished their clothes shopping -which Mercedes actually found herself enjoying- Marcia magicked their bags back to the house. Then she lead Mercedes down the blustery streets to their next destination: Diagon Alley.

"Turn in here," Marcia said, indicating a grim looking shop front, smushed between a record store and a book shop. They had entered what looked to be a pub, Mercedes thought. "Let's grab some cocoa before we continue on. How does that sound?" Marcia asked her, noticing Mercedes rubbing her hands together to rid her bones of the chill. "Alright." Mercedes sighed, knowing this was yet another attempt to get on her good side; Mercedes loved cocoa. "Two peppermint cocoas, please." Marcia told the barman, who nodded silently and waved his wand to begin their order. Marcia handed over the appropriate amount of gold, and they went to grab seats by a window so they could watch the Muggles pass unsuspectingly by. They sat in relative silence as they sipped their cocoa, which had floated over to their table piping hot, with a peppermint stick stuck in it and piled high with whipped cream. "You've got a bit of a mustache." Mercedes pointed out, indicating the foam lining her step-mother's upper lip. Marcia laughed and licked it away, using a napkin on the bits she couldn't reach. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, Mercedes." her step-mother said gently, leaning back contentedly in her seat. _Oh, God._ "Obviously I know the basics from your da, but you and I haven't exactly had time to get to know each other, and I would like to remedy that." she smiled at her step-daughter encouragingly. Mercedes gulped. She had been afraid of this moment; it's easier to loathe someone when you don't know them well, and Mercedes was amazing at blind hatred.

"What sort of things do you want to know?" she asked, attempting to mask her reluctance with a sip of cocoa. "Anything you want to tell me. What are your hobbies? What's your favorite school subject? What do you want to be when you're done with school? Absolutely anything you feel like, dear!" Marcia beamed at her, clearly happy the conversation was going somewhere, anywhere at all.

Mercedes sighed, looking down at her hands, wrapped around her mug for warmth. "Well, you know I'm sixteen. My mom and dad split when I was three, and my mom and I moved back to the states to be close to her parents. I went to a Muggle school as a kid, and as I grew, I found out I was magical like my parents. My mom pulled me from school when I was eight so no one would notice, and then I started at LLSM when I was eleven. Oh, uh, Las Lunas School for Magic. Pretty normal." she shrugged, refusing to look up from her drink. "When I started LLSM I met these kids -brother and sister- and we became best friends. We did everything together. But, we started growing apart... That's why I left." Mercedes trailed off, not wanting to say too much; it was still a sore subject.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Marcia cleared her throat. "Well, do you want to know anything about me?" Mercedes stayed silent as she attempted to regain control of her thoughts, her focus on some point beyond the Muggles outside. "I was a Ravenclaw, when I was your age. Prefect. My favorite class was Herbology, because it reminded me of my Da and his garden. When I left school, I became an apprentice for the Department of Magical Transportation, in the Floo Network Authority. Very boring job; You get to see into everyone's sitting room, though, so that was fun. Then after a few years, I changed over to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, all because I had a crush on someone in the department. Ended up right on the bottom. Took me years to work my way back up, and that was _after_ I dumped my God-awful excuse for a boyfriend." Marcia laughed a bit at the memory, then continued, as she could tell Mercedes had been listening, despite seeming indifferent. "It was when I was working in the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee that I met your da. About five years ago. I had to work with the Improper Use of Magic Office, and I was up on Level 2 for the week, helping them sort out this catastrophe with this old blind witch that kept thinking her Muggle postman was her dead husband... Anyways, I was up there, and all the Aurors came in from a late night shift to write up their reports, and this one kept staring at me. They left after not too long, all yawning. It was my last day in the department, and I didn't think anything of it until the next day. When I got to my desk the next morning, there was a single rose bud waiting for me. As soon as I reached for it, it began to bloom, and when it was fully grown, it transfigured into a note." Marcia blushed at the memory. "Turns out your dad had stayed late and asked around about who I was and where I worked. We went on our first date later that week. Only took that long because in all his excitement, your dad had forgotten to say who he was!" Mercedes chuckled at this and shook her head. _Typical Dad..._

After their little chat, they walked out back, and Marcia showed Mercedes how to get into the alley. "This is the roundabout way." she explained, touching her wand to a brick in the wall. "Usually I just apparate here. But since we were out shopping, I figured we might as well. Besides, I _was_ really craving a cocoa..." The wall parted before them, and they made their way into the busy alley.

Mercedes faintly remembered the colorful shop fronts from when she was a very little girl and her parents were still together. Her parents had needed to go out to collect some ingredient for some potion, and they had decided to bring her with them. Her father had carried her on his shoulders the whole trip until she fallen asleep, lulled by sounds of the shoppers on the high street.

Mercedes stopped for a second, her eyes drinking in the rich scene before her. There was so much to take in, which she had come to notice, via experience, was a unique quality to wizarding shops. "So, we still need to buy you your robes -your old ones won't do at Hogwarts, because students there wear all black- and we also have to get you a new cauldron, since you couldn't bring that with you on the plane, what with it being a massive metal object and all." Marcia said, rummaging in her bag. She exclaimed quietly, fishing out whatever it was she had been after. "You da meant to give this to you himself, but he was rather busy with work." she said, handing over a thick parchment envelope, addressed to:

Miss M. Reyes

Seat 24B, Air France Flight #AF3621

Mid-Atlantic

Mercedes frowned at the strange address. _Wizards..._ "They must've sent it off while you were mid-flight." Marcia chuckled to herself, noting Mercedes' odd expression. "It's a good thing the owl came to the house, though. I don't think things would have gone too well with the jet turbines..." Mercedes turned the letter over and noticed the seal was broken. "Your da and I opened the seal so we could get your things for you before you got here, since we were going to be running short on time. But of course, we don't know your course schedule yet, so we'll be getting your books later and have them sent to you." Marcia said, motioning for her step-daughter to follow her as she walked down the street and opened the door to one of the shops. Mercedes glanced up at the sign -Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions- before entering the shop. A young, cheery witch greeted them as they perused the racks, calling, "I'll be right with you -Just a moment!" from where she was kneeling in the back, pinning up the robes of a tall, blond haired young man. Marcia touched Mercedes on the elbow gently, "I'm going to try to find a nice pair of Chameleon skinned gloves. When she's ready for you, just tell her you need plain black Hogwarts robes, 3 full sets, no house. Okay?" Mercedes nodded, and Marcia was off.

Mercedes shuffled around the shop, waiting, until a piece caught her eye. She was so thoroughly engrossed in examining the beautiful, midnight blue traveling cloak with a fur-trimmed hood, that she didn't notice the shop girl come up behind her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" the girl asked. Mercedes jumped back to reality -she had been imagining herself wearing it- and was instantly greeted with two sets of eyes observing her -the shop girl, and the blond boy, who was still at the register, trying to adjust a small stack of parcels under his arm. "Yes, it's gorgeous." Mercedes sighed, letting her fingers trail over the soft material once more before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

"So, how can I help you?" Shop Girl beamed. "I need three full sets of plain black Hogwarts robes." Mercedes recited. "Come with me, dearie. What house?" Shop Girl asked as she waved for Mercedes to follow her around the register and towards the fitting area, summoning items as she went. "Um, no house, actually. I... I don't have one... yet." Mercedes said uncomfortably, now knowing how irregular the occurrence was, thanks to James and Lily. She was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that the blond boy was still fumbling with his packages, and was still within earshot. "I'm a transfer. From the states. Obviously..." she mumbled, praying no one was listening to her anymore. Shop girl closed her mouth when she realized it had fallen open slightly, and sprang into action, helping Mercedes up onto a pedestal in front of a row of mirrors. "No fear, I'll take care of everything! Once you've been sorted, you can have your parents send away for your proper house robes -if you'd like them. Will you be needing dragon hide gloves as well?" Mercedes shook her head. As Shop Girl helped Mercedes out of her sweater and into a robe, there was a tinkling of a bell from the front, signaling that the blond boy had finally left. _About damn time, the wanker._ Mercedes thought, still mortified that he had been there to hear about her Houselessness. "I'm Annalynn, by the way. Forgot to mention earlier. Madam Malkin was my gran." Shop Girl said around a mouthful of pins, waving her wand in a complicated fashion that made Mercedes' bottom hem even out.

Mercedes and Annalynn chatted amicably for the short duration of the fitting, discussing America and school, then Annalynn went into the back to whip up the rest of the order and get the sizing correct for the other robes, and Mercedes wandered back towards the front to find Marcia so they could pay.

Once done with gathering her uniform, the two ladies popped next door to gather some quills, ink, and parchment -Marcia decided that it would be a good idea to have some to spare- and finally made their way back up the street towards a shop called Potage's to grab a new cauldron. Once their purchases were all made, Marcia said she was quite worn out from their early start, and they apparated back to the house for lunch.

Mercedes sat on the edge of her bed, folding her new robes with the rest of her freshly washed laundry, and carefully placing them into her trunk. It was 2:37am Wednesday night, and in the morning -in a few short hours, actually- she would be leaving for Hogwarts. She had already packed her cauldron, potion ingredients, scales, writing utensils, parchment, and broom. Now it was just down to her clothes and a few personal items (a picture of her and her mom that was taken last year, one of her Dad and Marcia that they had given her at dinner -"To remember us by.", her radio -which her uncle had rigged to work around magic, makeup, a never-ending Sudoku game her uncle had given her, and a few favorite books from home). Mercedes carefully packed everything in, making sure nothing would shift over the course of the trip. She sighed heavily, looking over her packing list, checking off the last few things she had put in. Other than her bathroom items, she was done, and even those were packed up in her bathroom down the hall, waiting to be used one last time in the morning. She flopped back, exhausted, onto her pillow, blowing a bit of hair out of her eyes. _This time tomorrow, I'll be at Hogwarts._ And with that not so comforting thought, she fell into a restless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: At the Platform

**NOTICE:**

I do **not** own any aspect of Harry Potter -the universe, place names, titles, or characters, nor anything else having to do with HP. The plot of this fan fiction is, however, **mine**. Harry Potter/Harry Potter universe and all aspects are owned by J.K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 5:**

"Come on, Cedes, we'll be late!" her dad called, floating her trunk down the stairs and out the front door. Mercedes looked around her room, which was now more bare than it had been when she had moved in, what with the massive trunk now missing. She grabbed up her purse from the bed, and carefully patted her sweater pocket, making sure her wand was where she thought she remembered putting it, then left the room, closing the door behind herself.

The drive to the station wasn't bad, and traffic was light, so they made good time -no matter Marcia's muttering about them cutting it close. It was only half past ten when they pulled in. Marcia went off in search of a trolley while Mercedes' dad, Henry, got the trunk out of the boot. "You ready, luv?" her dad asked her, pretending to strain to lift the charmed trunk in order to fool the Muggles. "I suppose so. Don't have much choice." Mercedes responded, clutching her purse like it was a lifeline.

Mercedes was trying to keep it together. The thought of starting at a new school -in sixth year, no less- where everyone who attended had been there from their first day, was terrifying. They were a tight-knit family, and she was the outsider. She felt like a nervous first year all over again, only first years are welcomed by their houses, according to Lily. She wasn't so sure she would be welcomed into the fold.

"...coming?" Marcia asked, offering her hand. Mercedes gulped, she had only heard the last bit of the sentence, but she could have guessed the rest. Her father was already pushing her trunk into the station. It was time. "I'm coming." she sighed, pulling her sweater tighter around herself. She pushed off the car and started walking, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. She reached Marcia too quickly, passing by without joining hands. She couldn't afford to show a bit of weakness now. She saw her step-mother frown slightly out of the corner of her eye as she passed, and for a moment Mercedes was afraid she would take offense, but she just sighed in acceptance and followed after. They slowly made their way through the busy station, heading towards platforms 9 and 10. Her dad stopped, pulling Mercedes to the side, "So, here's what you've got to do: you're going to walk straight at the wall between the two platforms." he said quietly, nodding towards the wall across from them. "Just don't make it too obvious. I'll meet you once you're on the platform." Mercedes slowly turned towards the wall, pulling her purse strap further up her shoulder to stop it from slipping, and hauled the trolley along with her. There were a good many people on the platform, so she was forced to wade her way through the crowds, finally maneuvering herself so she could lean against the wall, then she quickly backed herself onto the platform, pulling the trolley behind her.

"Ow!" someone yelped from behind her. Mercedes turned around sharply, finding herself face to face with the Blond Boy from the robe shop. "Walk much?" he asked, wincing as he rubbed his shin where she had caught him with her boot. "Sorry," she gasped horrified. "It's okay. I'm not dying." he said, straightening up to his full height as he tested his leg out. "I can still walk, so I won't hex you this time." Mercedes stared at him with wide, indignant eyes. _Seriously?!_ "Well, forgive me for not being able to see through a fucking wall. You could have moved instead of standing right in the way of everyone." she huffed, glaring him down before she turned to push her trolley away from the entrance to the platform. _Best not to repeat that mistake twice._ "I was kidding! Hey!" he called after her, but she was so furious that she didn't hear him.

She didn't stop until she could no longer see him, which didn't take very long because the platform was so awash with students and family members that he was quickly lost in the crowd. She stood against the back wall by the benches for a moment until her dad and Marcia found her. "Good luck on your first day!" Marcia said, giving her a quick, awkward hug before releasing her to her father. "You'll do great, Cedes. Send us an owl when you've settled." he said, pecking her on the top of her head as he not too subtly handed her a small bag full of gold. "Just in case." he winked.

Mercedes heaved her trunk up into the train, her bag thumbing against her back, and slowly made her way down the corridor, searching the windows for an empty compartment. After she had searched a few cars, all while getting stares and the odd whisper, she was just ready to sit on her trunk in the hallway. There had to be some place she could sit. The train began moving, and the crowds of students in the corridor slowly started dissipating as they all claimed compartments or joined up with friends. Deciding she was just going to have to suck it up and sit with someone, Mercedes threw open a compartment door and turned to begin hauling her trunk through the doors. "Come to assault my other leg?" someone muttered from behind her. Her heart sunk. _Of all the shitty luck..._ "As a matter of fact..." she began, turning for the first time to face the compartment. Her words died on her tongue when she saw who was inside: Lily, James, Albus, and the Blond Boy. "Hi, Mercedes!" Lily chimed, cutting through the tension with her oblivious greeting. "Uh, hi." Mercedes said, feeling her anger deflate. "You know her?" Blond Boy scoffed, shaking his head at the irony. "Yeah, met her last week at a dinner party." James said, twirling his wand between his fingers like a drumstick. "Want some help with that?" He asked, nodding at her trunk. "Yes, please!" Mercedes sighed, chucking her purse up into the overhead compartment before collapsing into a vacant seat as James jumped up to deal with her luggage. "Give us a hand, Al." James said, heaving one side of the massive trunk. Al sighed and rolled his eyes before getting up to help his brother manhandle the trunk into the overhead bin. "So, excited?" asked James as he settled back into his seat, kicking his feet up on the one opposite. "Yeah, absolutely." Mercedes shot back with as much sarcasm as she possessed. "Completely looking forward to it." Lily shot her brother a telling look, then turned to Mercedes. "Sorry, I hadn't had a chance to come find you; but it seems it worked out anyway! So, how are your dad and Marcia?" she asked politely. Mercedes appreciated the effort, but the girl could have picked a better topic of conversation. Any other topic of conversation. Mercedes wasn't picky.

Mercedes talked with Lily and James -Albus and Blond Boy stayed silent for the most part- about their parents, what had happened since the dinner party, the school book list, and current Quidditch scores until the food trolly came. Mercedes picked up a few things she recognized, like Chocolate Frogs, and sat back down, slowly devouring her hoard as her companions stuffed their faces with an assortment of sweets she had never heard of. After they were done, James suggested a game of Exploding Snap again, and everyone except Blond Boy settled in to play, as there wasn't much else to do.

As they were beginning their third round, their compartment door burst open. "There you lot are!" exclaimed a pretty girl with bushy red hair. "I've been looking all over for you, did you know that?" she said, throwing herself down on the last empty seat between Al and Blond Boy and wrapping her arms around the two of them familiarly. "Wotcher, Rose." Al said, grinning as he shoved her arm up and over his head so he could take his turn. Rose took her arms back and settled in, taking in the compartment. Her eyes fell on Mercedes, and she frowned. "Who are you?" she asked bluntly. "That's Mercedes. Her dad works with ours." Albus piped up, stating it simply. There were cries of outrage and muttered curses as Lily won the round. Rose ignored the commotion, instead continuing to stare down Mercedes. "I haven't met you before, and you plainly aren't a first year..." The girl gave a pointed look of indication towards Mercedes' chest before she continued. "You're small, but you don't look that young. So, who are you?" she finished.

Mercedes' smile dropped off her face as she stared at the new girl, beyond offended.

"You're observant." Mercedes muttered flatly, not even wanting to waste her sarcasm on the conversation. She handed her cards back to James to be reshuffled and narrowed her eyes at the girl across from her.

"No, you haven't seen me before; I'm a transfer from the states. I'm in sixth, _not_ an over-developed first year." she lifted her chin in defiance while simultaneously crossing her arms over her chest. "What's it to you, anyway?" she asked defensively, wondering what the hell the other girl's issue was.

Rose stared at her for a few more moments, and the train car was dead silent as the other occupants stared between the two girls. Then suddenly, Rose's glare softened and she gave a smile. "Absolutely nothing. I just have this God-awful need to know everything and be an ass at the worst times. Just ask my cousins. I drive them insane." she chuckled, playfully ribbing Albus. Mercedes looked on unsurely; Rose was obviously going to take some time to figure out if this personality 180 was any indication. "Hey, Al, deal old Sourpuss and me in so we can have an even game." Rose commanded, nudging Blond Boy -Sourpuss, as she called him- with her knee. The boy rolled his eyes, but acquiesced to play, and they kept themselves busy.

Before too long, Albus said he needed to be off to the Prefects' compartment, which made their number odd, so they chose to sit, talking and joking until the windows begin to grow dark and the lamps came on. "Time to get changed." James muttered, stiffly unbunching himself from the awkward position he had been sitting in. "Gotta run! Lovely meeting you," Rose called as she left the carriage hurriedly. Mercedes stiffened, confused and terrified that everyone would begin changing right there. Lily came to the rescue just in time. "Come on, Mercedes. Grab your uniform from your trunk and you can follow me to the loo to change there."


	6. Chapter 6: The Sorting

**NOTICE:**

I do **not** own any aspect of Harry Potter -the universe, place names, titles, or characters, nor anything else having to do with HP. The plot of this fan fiction is, however, **mine**. Harry Potter/Harry Potter universe and all aspects are owned by J.K. Rowling.

 **Chapter 6:**

Once the girls were changed, they went back to the compartment. Lily knocked,paused for a moment, then opened the door slowly, allowing the boys a few extra seconds in case they weren't quite done. She needn't have bothered, though, because they were all dressed and grabbing their bags. Albus was back as well. "Only grab what you need immediately," Lily said. "Your trunk will be brought up automatically to whichever dorm you're assigned." Mercedes grabbed her satchel from the overhead bin and stowed her Muggle clothes back inside her trunk after she removed her wand from her sweater pocket.

The train was indeed slowing down now, and a busy hum was beginning to come from the corridor as students milled about, waiting to disembark. "Let's do try to stick together." Lily whispered to Mercedes, and for once Mercedes was glad for the younger girl's company. They opened the compartment door and began slowly making their way into the crowd of students.

Soon enough, they were standing on a platform in what looked like a tiny town or hamlet. "Where are we?" asked Mercedes, her teeth chattering as she attempted to make out the various buildings in the foggy gloom. "Hogsmeade." Albus said quietly, cupping his hands and blowing into them for warmth.

"You cold?" James asked, swinging off his school cloak before Mercedes could say anything, and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"I'm not used to weather like this." Mercedes mumbled numbly, as James fastened the cloak around her shoulders.

Blond Boy -Scorpius, Mercedes had learned from Lily while they were changing- rolled his eyes. "Let's grab a carriage before this one freezes" he muttered darkly, earning a scathing look from Lily.

Just as they began to make their way towards the carriage line, an enormous hand clasped down on Mercedes shoulder, making her jump. "Sorry fer frightenin' yeh." an enormous, bushy man said, removing his hand from Mercedes' shoulder. "You Mercedees Rayeez?" he asked, squinting down at a tiny piece of parchment. "Yes," Mercedes said, unsure. "Yeh need ta be comin' with me." the large man said. "Special orders from the Headmaster."

Mercedes' heart sunk. She really just wanted to sneak quietly into the school along with the rest of the student population, but obviously that was off the table now.

"It's okay, Mercedes, this is Hagrid." James said easily, clearly friendly with the giant man. "He's great friends with my dad. Known him all our lives, haven't we?" he asked of his siblings. Both Lily and Albus nodded, which earned a great beaming smile from Hagrid.

Mercedes sighed, making to reach up to take off James' cloak, but he quickly stopped her. "Keep it. I'm used to the weather, and I'll be perfectly warm in the carriage. Just get it back to me at the feast." And with that, the small group walked off in the direction of the carriages, leaving Mercedes relatively alone with Hagrid.

"Sorry 'bout tha." Hagrid said, scratching his salt and pepper beard. "I've got orders ta bring you up to the castle with the firs' years." Mercedes' heart sunk like a stone. There it went -the death blow to her plans of blending in even _remotely_...

 **Mercedes was** glad for the extra cloak on the boat ride across the lake, but she wished it had been equipped with invisibility, because while it was great at keeping out the wind, it did nothing for the stares she got from the first years. Other than Hagrid and one very tall little boy, she was the tallest person in the group (all 5'4" of her), and she wasn't the only one who noticed it. All the eleven year olds were clustered together in their boats, whispering amongst themselves and shooting furtive glances her way. She had spent the whole ride over to the castle wondering what would happen if she tipped her boat over and allowed herself to sink into the massive lake. The only thing that stopped her from doing so was the nervous first year who was sitting in front of her, his knees knocking together in fear. Although, if he craned his neck to look back at her one more time, she just might...

Once they were inside, they were gathered in a small antechamber off the entrance hall. The first years all seemed to pool 'round a kindly looking witch in velvet black robes scattered with stars and constellations that moved and swirled when she walked. She was standing by a doorway in the back of the room, looking very austere.

Hargid turned to leave them, giving a quick nod to Mercedes on his way. "One moment, Hagrid," the witch called, "I still have need of you." Hagrid stopped in his tracks, hand still on the door handle and turned to look at the woman.

"I need to take Ms. Reyes aside for a moment, if you would kindly watch the first years for me and explain the sorting to them?" she asked, giving a curt nod to the milling students. Hagrid bobbed his shaggy head and came back around to the front of the room to face the students. "Aye, I'll give 'em a rundown bes' I can, an' keep an eye on 'em fer yeh." With Hagrid looking on, the witch motioned for Mercedes to follow her back into the main entrance way.

Once the door shut behind them, and they were safely alone in the entrance hall, the witch faced Mercedes, hands clasped before her. "I am Aurora Sinistra, Professor of Astronomy, Head of Ravenclaw House, and Deputy Headmistress here at Hogwarts." the witch said. "Headmaster Flitwick has delegated to me the task of formally welcoming you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as he is currently preoccupied with the feast. I also am charged with informing you of our sorting practices: We have only ever sorted two other students who were not first year, excluding exchange students, and those sortings happened far beyond recent memory. Both had unusual circumstances not unlike yourself, and were in need of a permanent solution when it came to their education. However, just like them, you will be required to complete the sorting ceremony held within the Great Hall, just like every other student who has ever passed through these doors."

Mercedes gulped, instantly and intensely aware of the roiling of overlapping voices issuing from the large double doors to her right.

Professor Sinistra continued, "It isn't as daunting as you are likely imagining, but it is completed in front of the student body and faculty. You do have the ability to refuse the ceremony, however, this choice will end your magical education here and find you on the train home. The choice is up to you." the Professor finished, not unkindly. _Some choice,_ Mercedes thought.

"So, either I go out there and get sorted, or I turn right around and head back to the train?" she asked, eying the woman. Professor Sinistra nodded once, and waited for a response.

Mercedes heaved a sigh. "Guess I'm getting sorted, then."

Mercedes could swear the whole hall could hear her heart beating. After all, they were all staring at her hard enough, so why shouldn't they be able to hear her panic as well as see it?

The clump of first years slowly dwindled; painfully slowly, each student being called up alphabetically. They were just passing _M_ , and Mercedes knew her turn was just around the bend. If only she could remember how to breathe properly, she might just be okay. She'd never had a panic attack before, but she assumed that this was what it felt like: racing heart, pounding head, shortness of breath, feeling like the room is closing in... She attempted to focus on James' cloak that she had folded over one arm, which was now pinioned to her side. It was the only solid thing she could grab on to at the moment.

A little brown haired boy ( _Was his last name with a P?)_ was now climbing the steps to the stool, and the hat was placed on his head. Not five seconds later the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!", and the boy threw the hat back to Professor Sinistra, quickly scurrying down the stairs to join his cheering house.

"Ross, Katrina." Professor Sinistra called, and a girl -who hardly looked eight- walked solemnly up to the stool, and it hit Mercedes like a ton of bricks.

 _She skipped my name._

Mercedes stood there, rooted to the spot, her eyes wide in panic.

 _She skipped my name? She skipped my fucking name!_

Mercedes couldn't breathe. Had the whole discussion in the hallway been a ruse? Was this some elaborate joke her mom and dad had set up to get back at her for failing to mention almost dying? Some form of horrible punishment? What the hell was going on?

Mercedes looked up to see Professor Sinistra watching her. When they locked eyes, the witch gave a slight shake of her head before turning back to the student now on the stool - Walsh, something or other.

With one "Zabini, Colette," the last first year was done, sorted into Slytherin, and yet Mercedes still stood in the middle of the Great Hall. Very aware of how everyone was staring at her. Very aware of how alone she was.

Professor Sinistra closed the parchment she had been reading from and addressed the school at large, "If Professor Flitwick may have your attention, please," she commanded, backing up a few paces so all eyes could see.

For the first time that evening, Mercedes noticed the tiny man sitting in the Headmaster's chair. He was the direct inverse of Hagrid; Where Hagrid was tall, Flitwick was quite small, where Hagrid was bushy and wild, Flitwick was neat and perfectly composed.

"We have a rare occurrence tonight." Professor Flitwick said, squeaking with the effort of projecting his voice around the hall. "A student has elected to transfer into our fold. I ask that you all give her every measure of kindness and understanding you possess, as she attempts to regain a sense of normalcy. Thank you," and with that, he bowed his head, he sat back down.

Professor Sinistra took center stage again, and unrolled the parchment one last time. "Reyes, Mercedes." she called finally. Mercedes attempted to hold herself aloft, despite her quaking knees, and walked carefully up the steps to the stool. She sat down gently, closing her eyes as the hat obscured her sight, and prayed it would be over quickly.

Lily stared up at the high table, quite aware that people were beginning to check their watches. It had been four and a half minutes already since Mercedes had begun to be sorted, and still, the hat remained silent.

"Wonder what's going on?" she heard James say to his friend Quincy.

"Maybe she can't be sorted, since she's not a first year." someone else along the table said. Lily didn't want to admit it, but she was beginning to fear the same. No one knew the precedent for a transfer student, at least not one who wasn't a year-long exchange student. What if Mercedes sat up there all night, and the hat refused to sort her? What then? Would the teachers let her stay? Would she be forced to go home? Lily couldn't stop from worrying.

Everyone was beyond restless -and quite hungry, James had repeatedly pointed out- when finally, the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

Lily's mouth dropped open, and she clapped halfheartedly along with the rest of the school. "Could've sworn she'd be Ravenclaw. Maybe even Gryffindor, but not Slytherin. How long did that take, anyway?" James muttered, shaking his head dazedly as he clapped.

"Round about seven minutes, I'd wager." Quincy said, shaking his robes back down over his watch. "I lost track. Either way, longest hatstall ever I'd reckon."

Lily sighed. There went her grand ideas about staying up late in the common room talking...


End file.
